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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28493919">'Now you're thinking with the Multiverse!'</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/r0sep0rt_l/pseuds/r0sep0rt_l'>r0sep0rt_l</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Portal (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Multiverse, basically uhh getting a leg cut off tw, gets a mature ranking for the slight gore and swears, heads up there is guns, i dont think this should be major character death but, just a warning, missing a leg???, okay i know it never was canon that he lost his leg but give me a break, possibly could be a new au where cave doesn't have his leg, slight gore, the multiverse stuff are so underrated i might as well do something interesting, there is blood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:07:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,985</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28493919</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/r0sep0rt_l/pseuds/r0sep0rt_l</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Still doing science, more focused on the Multiverse Project then anything, Cave, the stubborn man he is, finally finishes the machine.</p><p>..And the first thing he decides to do with it is to test it out by person, with an assistant's help.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Machine Overwork</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“-Now folks, make sure to have those made by next week’s Friday, or that </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>result in a lower check, we don’t pay for nothing here.”  Currant red and the rust bronze orange striped walls surrounded the small office without any windows; dusty cobwebs now and there in the corners of the ceiling. Scattered paperwork across the messy room, some of the ones that laid on the table had coffee splotches on them that left with a faint smell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind the founder’s desk were the monitors that saw through the vision of the security cameras, having the ability to change them as so many of the cameras filled Aperture and it’s prodigious size. Alongside the messy paperwork, small desk-lamp, cup of strong black coffee which would have been lukewarm by now, and the pen holder that contained a fountain of different coloured pens, pencils (half of them were mechanical) there was a computer sitting down further from the mess too, somehow untouched from any stains that came from a jumble of objects around the office.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A slow knock admitted from the door, “Yes? Come in.” Cave answered as the door opened with a rusty creak; it was a figure about the same height (maybe slightly taller) as the CEO, wearing a silver grey-looking suit, a scarlet red tie attached to the suit’s neck collar. He walked into a mayhem of an office, carrying a pile of fresh paperwork with the taint smell of bleach in one of his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mr Johnson, Sir, firstly, did you remember to mute your mic?” Greg, Cave’s assistant, inquired as he came closer to the desk, it was close to a garbage pile except with usefulness instead of trash. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cave sighed, turning to press the ‘Mute’ button on the mic before saying anything else, “Yeah yeah, I forgot almost, why is muting that so important in the first place? Anyways, what is it?”  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I needed to hand you this,” Greg laid down the papers onto his desk, making the pile slightly larger than it already had been, “And wanted to talk to you about the Multiverse stuff we’ve been discussing often lately, how is the progress on it? ” The assistant added</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should be finished soon enough, eventually, If it doesn’t break the fabric of time again” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why did he decide that </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>he</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> would create this again? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Behind the desk, there were two dusty bookshelves covering one side of the walls, while on the right there was what you’d assume would be the Aperture Science Multiverse Portaler Project creation that was still minorly in progress, far from being considered ‘finished’. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Greg sighed “Sir, this may be rather hopeless, the portal project may have worked  but that doesn’t mean this is possible, it’s traveling through timelines for god’s sake!” A tone of annoyance echoed through the few last words, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and it certainly wasn’t going to be successful anytime soon if the founder kept going at that pace, not everything is possible, and this is way more than dangerous to rip through the fabric of reality.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p><span>“But can you imagine all the possibilities if it works? There’s infinite multiverses, which means infinite money-verses, we could mine them out until we have to go to the next one, we’re going to be damn rich! Never going to have to worry about money again,”  Cave asserted, yet taking the phrase ‘chase your dreams’ way too far, ‘</span><em><span>if the portal project worked, this must as well.</span></em><span>’</span> <span>he thought, the man was overmuch excessively optimistic about this asinine project, to the point it could annoy someone to the breaking point of wanting to leave the office.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“First of all, there wouldn’t be infinite money-verses, only one would exist, it might be a ‘multiverse’ but that wouldn’t make it be infinite, why? If you so-call refer to this multiverse being just like a timeline, then only one would exist or just a few similar ones, as therefore timelines are never the same, or things are similarly altered in them,” Greg objected bluntly, taking a deep breathe as if he was going to spit out a whole essay out of his mouth, right before the assistant had a chance to add another point to his statement, another knock emerged from the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mr Cave Johnson, I apologize for interrupting, but you are needed at back-wing GH9, Repulsion gel station”  A unfamiliar voice informed, not walking into the room themselves, but waiting outside the office after speaking a few words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen- Greg, we’ll discuss this later, Meet me back here during 6 PM, should be long enough to discuss it then.” Cave mumbled an non-apologetic apology, before getting up from the chair and following where the voice instructed him to be at. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir-” was what the CEO last heard before heading out of the room, his assistant wondering if that was the right thing to say, or if he should have regretted starting the point, yet those thoughts came loose as he wandered back into his office ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>More paperwork…</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ Greg sighed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>()-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~()<br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What time was it..?</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Sunday, right?  Should be, at least he assumed so, looking at his watch it was somewhere near 1 AM in the morning, how long had this founder stayed up for, and how many days with no or little to none sleep? Either way, it was clear to tell he had been busy, his clothes worn out with slight flecks of oil and grease, the lights have been on for more than felt like an hour ago, by now everyone would have gone home.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Oh this was stupid, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but just.. A few more things and it would be complete.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>..</span>
</p><p>
  <span>...Just.. One part now.. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>.....</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…..</span>
</p><p>
  <span>.. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes..!</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was working, the teleporter was actually working, It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>possible! It was a little bold to tell if it really was working or not, by the emerald glow from it, but something was happening, right? Which means that it could be working, at least the CEO didn't remember putting green lights into the machine. For the very least, something did happen, which meant it wasn’t all to waste. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Yet another thing that almost scared him to death was the sudden knock on his office door, who even in their right minds would be awake at this hour in the facility? Maybe it was a thief, but thieves don't politely knock on people’s doors asking ‘Oh can we be let in?’, then who the hell was there? A- ghost by chance? Quite possible even, He got up from his filthy knees to open the door, just in case it really was something worth being on guard for, yet filled with relief when he saw it was just his assistant, but a question ran in his mind. “Greg?- Why are you even working at this hour..?”  </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed “Paperwork, A whole ass stack of them, and sir? Why are you awake? God you look awful” Mumbling the last part quietly to himself, slowly noticing Cave’s appearance, bangs over his eyes, his attire worn out, looking as if he was half dead. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Been working on- well, why don’t I just show you instead?” A slight sheep-ish smile appeared on his face, while guiding towards the machine “This bad boy,” he stopped and pointed at the Aperture Science Multiverse Portaler Project “Is the finished creation of the Multiverse Portaler, now I haven’t tested it out yet but-” The founder added before being interrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir you- you actually finished it- you managed to complete it!” Greg was left speechless, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Did he actually do it? Make what is practically impossible?’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>He knew that the man would go out of his way to throw science against the wall and see what sticks, then go further with that, but this? </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you it was possible,”  Cave boasted, before adding “Now, let’s hit this thing and see if it really works!” obviously ignoring the fact of the drastically unrealistic measures and how evidently it was to do this without any safe ways of knowing it wouldn’t throw them into the dark empty void of space, or get rid of their existence as a whole.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No! This.. Is a bad idea, if we haven’t tested it yet, then we shouldn’t risk ourselves in there. It's a hazard that we don’t know what may happen- At least we should be more cautious about this” The assistant hesitated, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what was that man thinking!? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>All</b>
  <span> of our tests are hazardous, safe science isn’t even considered science, it’s just putting chemicals together that have been discovered, what’s the point of it if we’re not creating things? There’s a risk in everything, Now- let’s test this thing!” Before hearing what Greg had to respond with, he grabbed his arm and dragged the two of them into the Aperture Science Multiverse Portaler Project, it having a similar appearance to an elevator, on the ceiling of the round small  machine there were almost ring-like things, spinning around in a quick manner.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>…..</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A bright light flashed over the two men, blinding their eyes what felt like an hour before a dark shadow covered the vision.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>..</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>….</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It worked.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>But where were they?<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>()-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~()</span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Multiverses and Explorations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The pair have now found themselves into the Multiverses.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I've been thinking: What if Greg was right? What if injecting my consciousness into a computer robbed me of an eternal reward? Spiritually speaking.” A voice still hazy rang in their ear, continuing their message with what sounded like a buzz “Alright, I just read up on it. Stumbled on a book about a fella who lived thousands of years ago. Sacrificed himself to save mankind. Went by the name of Hercules. Destroyed all the world's monsters so humans were safe, then went to Olympus for his trouble. Damn it, death was my monster! And I killed it! Where's my Olympus?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The voice was familiar in a way, more mechanical sounding than anything, but the thing that set him questioning himself into what was happening must have been the fact that the voice that spoke to what seemed itself, sounded a lot like Cave’s voice, actually, maybe it made sense? They were now in a multiverse, or at least it’s what the two would assume for it to be, so of course there was going to be another Cave Johnson and Greg, and partially anyone else that existed in their universe, Right?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Now, that both of them were aware of the dusty gray walls on the left, leaving a door-way like gap in the middle, there was something noticeable of the chamber that was behind the bullet-proof light blue tinted glass, if you looked at it for a minute you’d assume it was just a regular thing dangling from the ceiling, but if you would look close enough, it was moving. It moved. And it didn’t look just like one of those decorations, it was an AI, or robot if you would prefer to call it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And that same voice was coming from it, from the robot. Putting the puzzle pieces together, was it that in this multiverse the founder really put himself into the computer? That meant the project was finished in this world!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Greg and Cave finally got up from the cold floor tiles, not leaving the room but instead observing what the AI was doing, getting used to the strange timeline that could be a prophecy for the future; re-adjusting themselves to the multiverse they were transported to before hearing the robotic Cave speak again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“"Unless... Aperture was the monster. Aperture and everybody inside it. Holy Hercules! I just thought of something. Keep testing. Or don't. Doesn't matter. I'll be back." Not as if they were getting a bad idea already, a small rumble came from the ground, harsh and sudden yet what you could call gentle, that stopped after 30 seconds, the two men looked at eachother, giving each other the look of questioning if the AI was going to do what they thought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is THAT thing going to-”  Greg suddenly got cut off as another earthquake started, with more force this time, repeating it’s steps like the previous ones, expect it had left some cracks in the ground, <em> as if now that wasn’t a sign to get the hell out of this place while we still can. </em>“Mr Johnson, we really should leav-” He suggested again with slight fear looming over his eyes as both of them just managed to get up from the floor- hearing another one commencing, then the assistant and founder holding onto the wall like life was about to collapse upon the facility.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And this one crashed worse then the previous, roaring a lion’s amber, furiously shaking as if it was going to suck all life-forms from Aperture, actual cracks forming in the ground of where the AI was, somehow the glass still bearing together as the loud crash of grey storage cabinets fell down, glass beakers spilled, even cases parts of the ceiling came loose. <em> ..We’re fucked. </em> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yet this time, the grumbling of the facility didn’t stop, the seer powerful force weakened yet it still shook the entire place as if it’s stomach were hungry for organic life. “We have to find a way to leave, Now!” Greg blustered as loud as he could, the collapsing rumbling almost muted out anything that dared to squeak, filling all that was near with ears full of tumbling. </p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>The two men barely managed to stand still, yet grasping each other’s arm and the walls for any stableness they could get, their ears filled with the screams of scientists that attempted to flee, quickly realising they were running out of time as the lights flickered as they stopped looking for support and began to sprint accelerating down whatever path was set out, yet as they ran- almost passing the same emerald green light coming from a higher panel “Oi! That must be it!” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>How it managed to get there was a whole other question, what they needed was to Get. Out. Now. Before the place collapsed on itself, to their advantage in front of the panel which acted like a shelf, holding the transporter, were wooden crates that somehow were still fully in-tact, without thinking of how much weight they could support after the storm of earthquakes, the two men climbed up from the crates, now the elevator-like machine was in front of them, of course it was an odd place for it to spawn here, but nevertheless glad that they’ll get out of here.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>..</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>And the flashing light provoked their eyes again..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>…..</p>
<p>....</p>
<p>..</p>
<p>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> Where are we now? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Vision blurred for a while, shortly before returning to normal, the side effects of the transporter were better this time, eyesight fuzzy still but much much better this time. Right what they noticed at first was the weird-looking uniforms that they were wearing in this multiverse, supposedly it gave them a fair advantage to make it out alive though as realising that where they were, the gravity was less forceful here, and the uniforms were.. Space-suits? </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>..Were they in SPACE!?</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Has humanity in this timeline lived on the moon, mars even? Or possibly a different planet? That was.. Quite possibly actually as Multiverses can carry out to be anything. </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>The two men spawned at what looked to be the back of the.. Space facility? Right next to walls with a colouring of a dark desaturated denim blue, yet left them right in the open clearing of the facility, So what did the pair decide to do? Explore and investigate what was different in this part of reality.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> "<em> It's come to my attention that over half of our test subjects have only recently awoken from extended relaxation and were unaware that we're testing in space. So there it is: No conspiracy. No twist. We're in a testing prison satellite orbiting the Earth. Commonly available information that absolutely anyone would have told you if you'd bothered to ask. Please stop forming groups of adventuring parties to uncover the big secret, because it's that we're in space. </em>" </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>It was another Cave’s voice again, and this confirmed that they were indeed in space, a testing prison? By the name of it, the two didn’t like where they ended up at, “Sir, We really should find a safe way to-” Greg was interrupted as they were spotted by- what would it be, a guard? Scientist? </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </em>
</p>
<p>()-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~()</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </em>
</p>
<p>And now.. They were trapped within a test chamber, being mistaken as the prisoners, <em> just great </em>. And there didn’t appear to be a way to get out as all around the two newer prisoners were caved in by the dark tile panels, yet behind them was a door, which was the way they got into the chamber, suddenly the founder getting an idea.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“Hold on, what if I..” Greg backed up, watching what Cave was doing before a metal ‘cling’ noise admitted, returning to him with a look of doubt.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“Didn’t budge?”</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“Didn’t budge, not one bit, the stupid thing is completly made of iron, or some kind of strong metal, and I don’t think we have anything hot enough at 1,538°C to melt the damned thing.” Cave responded with annoyance, and annoyance only; melting obviously wasn’t going to work.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“We could.. Try to solve the puzzle? It seems linked to the other door, which may be our exit out of here” Greg suggested, ahead of the tiny (in the length of it) corridor was a larger room, in the middle there were two pillars and in between was two white panels facing each other, one on the ground and one on top, with a button; As for the side there was one angled panel that was in the direction of facing a deadly pit of some kind of radioactive acid, worrying that it might float and burn them alive. </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>And then there was the door, almost identical to the one that they came through, on the other side of the pit, with a red button on the ground that had a box-like opening on the front. Near that, a dropper was near it on the ceiling, containing a box inside. </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Without thinking, Cave went ahead and pressed the red button besides the angled panel, which resulted in a bright orange portal to reveal itself on the panel, the middle of it closed off as deactivated, yet still on the plate, then walking over to the two panels that faced each other and pressing that button; the same orange portal and this time with a blue portal shot out onto the panels, orange on the top and blue on the bottom on the panels. </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“Aha! It.. must be something to do with portal momentum,”  The CEO noted, in the meanwhile as he was doing that, Greg pressed the button that was closer to the pit, which the crate dropped from the dispenser. <em> Well this is rather simple </em>, they just have to get across now, and by the look of Cave, he sure found a way.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“So, you have found a solution?” He asked the founder.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“Appears so, the puzzle is pretty easy surprisingly, thought they would want to trap their prisoners, but that Cave running the place must be a dumber version,”</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“Right.. What did you come up with then? So we’re on the same page” </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“First, You go into the two portals over there,” He pointed at the facing down portals “And gather enough momentum so when I press that button,” then proceeded to point at the one near the tilted panel “You’ll be fired to the other side and then put that crate over to the slot, then we’ll figure a way for me to get across”  </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“Would.. That work? With the gravity being less dense and all” His assistant being quite skeptical of the plan, and plus what would they do once the door was open? How would Cave get across without getting stuck, unless that was his plan for some odd reason to get stuck, and that he had a way out. </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“Quite possibly, it’s our only ticket out of here if we don’t get eaten by the acid there, and if you fall in then hopefully the gravity will let you float out,”  He remarked, if anyone else was going to know about the portals well enough it would be the higher ranked scientists, or the CEO, so Greg did as the plan followed, going into the two portals, almost feeling sick from the fast travel of falling endlessly, stomach dropping as if he was about to get tossed into the dripping acid, closing his eyes tightly shut.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>..</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em> Was it over? </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>He wasn’t dead, yet, which was a lucky thing, still breathing; Greg’s eyes loosened as he saw black tiles upon him, covering his vision. He’s alive, He’s alive! ...Soon discovering that he indeed had reached the other end of the chamber, “Well, You made it, what are you waiting for? The cube’s right over there,”  <em> Oh, right. I almost forgot about the cube </em>, getting caught up with the sickly feeling of being caught in the portal loop then fired at the other side, the toxic acid prickling at the nostrils in a peckish matter.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>As the cube went into the button, it opened the metal door as a path opened up to get across the pit, <em> That’s figured, then. </em>The CEO made his way through as the plates beneath him creaked, walking faster than usual, as they went through the tiny corridor into what carved itself out to be sort of a room with an elevator in the middle, nothing too odd about it except with a few wall panels, that brought the two to question.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Greg inspected the panels first, while Cave glanced at the metallic sculpture of the space, it wasn’t much like the previous chamber they were just in, wires on the ceiling traveling through the pillars. “Hey Sir? I found something, could come into use,” attested the assistant.</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </em>
</p>
<p>“What is it?” He queried as he came over to see what might help them escape.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“These panels here are loose then the other ones,” Greg took off the  relaxed wall panels, putting them to the side as it revealed a tunnel-like passageway,  tall enough to walk yet wide enough for only one of them to lead the way and the other one to follow. “Do we- go in?”</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“I don’t see any other options, the elevator obviously won’t bring us out of here, so I suppose so,” Cave led the way into the ominous tunnel, barely able to tell if it was a dead end or a maze as the dusky toned underground corridor seemed almost without an end, leading them into their eternal burrow.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>However, that luckily wasn’t the case as they began to see something, not a white spark but still something, noise crackled in the air, being able to identify talking clutter, feeling like hazy mutter that wasn’t hushed; many footsteps as the musty smell of the prisoners’ sweat filled the air, those ones probably didn’t even have a break from the perilous chambers.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>The two peeked out from panel, mostly being able to be hidden yet now having an ability to slightly see what was happening in the room that the tunnel had lead to, the sight wasn’t too shocking, <em> Of course the other me would be good at his job, We do the best around the labs, </em> but maybe that wasn’t a great thing when <b>they </b>are the prisoners and not the ones who ran the place.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Nothing much happened in the first few minutes, it seemed this was just time reducing, might as well just go back and find another way in the tunnel right? </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>..</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Something <em> was </em> happening in fact, the prisoners were creating a power-fuse as the uncovered cables laid without armour, fully vulnerable to the maniacs that were trying to escape. <em> That was stupid. </em></p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em> … </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em> …. </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em> They managed to- </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Everything went into darkness, darker than it used to be at the very least, possible for them to see yet significantly darker, as they came out of the hiding panel they saw the illuminating forcefield glitch out, turning into invisible speckles that had no strength to contain the space suited prisoners, then a loud cheering scream and sudden footsteps running occurred.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em> This wasn’t going to be easy, they had to get out FAST before the power came on, and before they were spotted or found. </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>It was similar to the previous multiverse, and how there were long corridors, except this one felt more like a maze than anything, with more corners and turns, seemingly none of the force fields were down in these corridors, which you’d expect a high secure place to have; Cave grabbed the shoulder of his assistant, in case the two would get lost in the shadow, the founder would just buck it if he saw something coming for them, but it was a smart idea to pair up someone from the same multiverse, meaning he wasn’t going insane.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>This time around it was easier to find the transporter, mostly due to the fact the gentle emerald glowed brighter in the dim lighting that engulfed the space prison facility, same familiar way with the crates being near the transporter, except the teleporter was on safely on the ground. </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>..</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>A void covered their vision for a second as the place was bright again, the power was back on- and the speaker came on as well, throat clearing before the space Cave spoke “This thing on? I'm gonna be brief. Because I'm dying. Because I got shivved. A lot. I just wanna get it on record that using force fields for doors in a space prison is a bad idea. You know what would have been better? Regular doors. With locks. Locks that don't open when the power goes out. [cough cough] Man, those blue force fields looked good, though. Every time I saw one, I thought-" The message glitched, before cutting off, did that one- just die? </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>..A rumble hit, <em> Seriously, again? </em>Before Greg could speak, he was pulled into the Multiverse Transporter, They were going to get out of that place as soon as possible, not another timeline like the previous again.</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </em>
</p>
<p>..</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>….</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>….</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Are they back? Even with misty vision it felt like the Aperture Science offices, with the faint smell of bleach or the dusty cobwebs in the corners, and the warm colors, they could tell this is their Multiverse, at last, maybe this whole plan wasn’t a good idea, feeling adrenaline pumping in their bodies as the feeling of tiredness was left to numb, “..Greg? Can we discuss the Multiverse Project later if you don’t mind?” They were supposed to observe and write down about any of the experiments right after they were done, company policy after all, it wasn’t usual at all that the CEO broke his own policy, yet he replied with only a nod, both of them were worn out and needed to go home.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>As they stepped out of the office, something wasn’t right, it just felt.. Off, recent blood splatters on the walls mixed with the smell of gasoline, bodies around the concrete carved in hall that connected the offices and stairs, the foreign thing about the bodies was that the wounds weren’t made by a dagger or some sort of blade, their necks were bruised, heads decapitated, some of them having multiple limbs torn furiously apart, like a tiger’s claw, and most of them still bleeding fresh.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em> What the absolute fuck happened? </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>..</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <b>….</b>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <b>A loud noise echoed from the distance, almost buzzing like.</b>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <b>….</b>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <b>And a scream.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Then it hit. </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em> .. </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em> This isn’t their Multiverse again. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Science Hell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>gore + guns in this chapter!! you have been warned!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing the sight of the dead bodies and their damage didn’t mean any good, more of an ill omen than anything. If this was a zombie apocalypse (It couldn’t have been the zombies who did THAT damage…)  then it would be better to get out as soon as possible and find the transporter before the smell of the corpses would begin to rot and the scent would attract whatever was making this, with that said, they sprinted to the hall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe that was rather too soon to be wishful for the corpses to not attract the creatures, as from the entrance of the hall it could tackle their noses immediately, an atrocious taste filling their mouths as if they could feel how the bodies savored, trying to quickly get out of the hallway, running through it as a staircase and an elevator awaited them, almost like a reward. Waiting by the door of the lift in a haste, Cave muttering “Hurry up, stupid thing…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr Johnson, the stairs will be faster than the elevator, we’ll just take longer waiting for it to come down if it’s even active,” he advised quickly</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll get down in time when this damn thing opens!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No we won’t! If the lift doesn’t open we’re screwed, we cannot afford to stay here any longer, whatever happened to those, we’ll be treated the same and ripped to shreds!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cave sighed “..Fine, let’s just hurry,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so, the assistant and CEO ran down the devastated stairs, way different then what they looked like in their Multiverse, some parts cracked, bronze dust filling instead of fresh soft moss, carefully to not slip on the broken forms of the staircase.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Cave Johnson here. The mantis men have officially taken over the building. If you can still get out, get out now!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>So that was the thing that had taken over, to the look of the corpse wounds, they were deadly too. How had the experiment gone THIS catastrophic?</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“..We need to run. Now.” The Cave from their Multiverse declared, them running now recklessly down the stairs, somehow haven’t tripped over a single missing piece, as reaching the floor level, something echoed in the distance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>..</span>
  <b>
    <em>Crunch.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hell. The noise was close too, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> close, it was coming to them, wasn’t it? They had to hide and quick, getting hit with an idea, Greg grabbed the two behind the staircase, luckily some crates again worked out in their favour as it helped them keep hidden, not standing out too much with the gloom surroundings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Here they come…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Getting a slight glimpse of the things, particularly green outlayer what humans would think is the skin, thin sticks, what would be the antennas or ears, razor blade sharp vanes replacing the arms, void eyes without a stare, like beads without any light, yet that’s the only thing the two could tell apart without breaking their cover, hearing the loud alien footsteps up the crusty stairs, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, definitely not the ones from our Multiverse. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Were they.. gone yet? </span>
  </em>
  <span>The strides had managed to stop now; only a faint echo in the distance, what they imagined was the ominous creatures walking into the hallways, pouncing on its prey which were the helpless flesh and bone of the humans, the monsters only saw them as food or  intruders to the newly overtaken place so-called their hive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>While they waited, a question rang of what was in the crates, they had no lock to stop them and certainly were just wood, so it could easily be opened just like that, right? They would need whatever they could get a hold of; being careful enough to not alarm the hunting beasts, Cave finding the crate having contained a pistol and a large shotgun, fully supplied with weapons too! </span>
  <b>Exactly </b>
  <em>
    <span>what they needed to survive.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Greg peaked over, giving the founder the glare of asking what he found, without having to use any words even if they have barely spoken in the Multiverses, but that was just the rush of </span>
  <span>adrenaline and trying to save their energy, or the fact they could get their organs diced if either of the two men spoke a squeak, handing the assistant the shotgun instead of the pistol, he does have the higher brain cells after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>As to look around the small crack again, the fading echoes stopped, no crunching noises nearby, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Were they safe now? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Most likely not but they should get moving, soon enough their cover won’t last long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They got up from the dusty staircase, double checking before searching for the teleporter again, the room poured out to be a massive connector with tons of halls, in the middle a slightly smaller room with computers laid, peaking over the corner of the room to see if it was empty, fleeing screams answered that question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>That room must have been the most populated one in the facility, if so many corpses filled the room, even blood stains on the ceiling began to drip, computers smashed onto the ground with several screens broken, being ripped out of their wires, sparking of electricity, still a bunch of them trying to flee out of newly formed hell, brave enough fighting against the ominous things would grab the cut off wires and computers, trying to electrode the creatures, now the two witnessing one get cut in half,  frailing to the ground as soon enough it would be another piece of a moving statue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Running quickly past, trying to not be too loud and careful at the same time, the humans fleeing and making a ruckus were the only things helping them survive, seemingly as the things couldn't be fended off, or might even be immortal in this universe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were many paths of hallways, unknowingly what they lead to, it wasn’t like this in their timeline, not a maze at least, Aperture Science was more organised than THIS mess! While it was impossible to take one path, splitting up would be worse, either they would get lost and die, or have a good chance at defending the mentis-men if it’s just one of them attacking the two, outnumbered. Way easier to tackle the things then.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sprinting right past the open middle, entering one of the hallways as going to the sides of it hoping that would make them less noticeable, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It looked as if it was still being in progress, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ponder why they didn’t close this off. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Or maybe they did, but the beasts got to it first; either way the walls weren’t all properly built, still being able to see the stone and small parts of the facility from up here, couldn’t fall out by standing near it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even not all lights were built into the ceiling, floor being half complete, a heap of unfinished work, the walls were suppose to be panels, yet now coated with a metal surface instead, they always put a layer of inescapable metal incase of radiation, didn’t want anything to get out to the public and start a combine war, even if the walls were afterwards coated with the panels, it helped to keep out failed experiments.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>But in this Multiverse it seemed like that metal didn’t save them, the monsters were stronger somehow, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Definitely going to have to upgrade the security in our Multiverse, and cancel the other project. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, they distracted themselves with the constant danger of getting killed and quietly talking among the way, watching out for the beasts or any sign of escape, three short hallways reached them eventually, being able to see the ends of them, one with some ungodly high rocks, one being plain and one..</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>...The teleporter! </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was it! They were free from this hellscape, crates around it in a similar motion from the first Multiverse, the panel it was on was slightly shorter than its original height from the first one, small crates to be able to climb upto.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hard texture of the crates and panels weren’t usual, despite the appearance it felt like touching rocks instead of wood, was.. it an illusion? No, have to get out, Now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Climbing the crates was.. Slightly more difficult than imagined, the boxes sounding as if they would break under the seer pressure of any weight, being rocky and delicate, and there were.. Was it reality or was he lightheaded?  There were more platforms to get across then it felt like, definitely more higher too, maybe he’s just tired, yet the look on his assistant didn’t comfort that thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Almost…</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>…</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>….Just a bit more longer</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>..Yes</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>...Yes!!</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>…..</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, Almost out of this-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>..</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Huh?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something clung onto Greg’s leg, more like a scorpion's claw, except green, so apparently the claws had two functions, ripping people’s organs out AND grabbing them? “Argh- The hell?” Founder’s assistant not realising what was happening in the process- </span>
  <em>
    <span>What am I supposed to do?! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cave thought with panic for a few seconds before using the pistol, shooting directly at the green beast’s void eyes, How it managed to grab Greg was a mystery in itself, what they needed to do was get out as the monster’s grip released, helping him get balance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on,quick, we need to get a move on before-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>..</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not again! </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>No nono no no, Now himself? They’ll be in an endless loop if they keep it up, but this time the beast didn’t give him a chance to shoot, as the monster dropped him back to the beginning of the climb, the gun falling out of his reach, it wasn’t long enough to break his bones fortunately, yet pain hit like a rush of water from his spine- didn’t have a chance to get back up, only crawl as the mantis-man jumped down, shaking the ground to a rumble.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He.. He was next.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s over- Not yet.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The gun! Cave crawled to try to get a hold of the pistol, yet miserably stopped as the creature chucked it away, standing right infront of him, the fear settled in pretty fast, more importantly that now, who would Aperture belong to? Would it go downhill? Will his death be named? Black Mesa won’t buy their laboratories, right? -Trying to get a steady placement, he rolled under the thing, getting up and trying to find the pistol- yet nowhere to be found, like it faded from existence in a manner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>..And the thing charged towards him, razor blade sharp vanes coming towards him, he was cornered too… </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wait.. Maybe he can-</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the beast ran at him, he attempted to jump over it, yet-</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>..</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His leg. He couldn’t feel his leg.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>..</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The shut eyes opened- seeing that he was laying on the ground- moving his vision to the leg- there was blood. His blood. Gushing out of his own body where his leg should be-</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>...Vision getting hazy again, fuzzy mist filling everything as closing the eyes, feeling a weak body that was of his own drain out, feeling lighter by the second, yet pain waving over him, screaming in his mind, mixed with the pain of his spine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>..</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>….</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>……</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Expect for now the ringing deep into his ears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now what? </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>()-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~()<br/></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A sound filled his ears, this time not a ring but more of someone talking, not being able to pin-point where he was by the feel of it, one thing was he could feel his missing leg, no bone there, full on missing, yet blood wasn’t.. Coming out of the wound, strangely enough. Still being able to feel the other body parts, both arms still there, other leg there.. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The wound.. Felt covered up, of course the leg was missing but.. ..something stopping the blood, as if something covered the spot, something that felt like a piece of cloth too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the founder opened his eyes, a nauseous feeling hitting him right in the face, blurry and mist clogged the vision, yet he could tell by the warm color contrast, instead of the grey metal walls back in the Multiverse, vision remaining foggy, not being able to tell anything by sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr Johnson, can you hear me?” Greg’s voice rang, at least he was able to hear and recognize, the CEO moved one of his arms-  then the other, to clear his eyes, slightly improving the vision, before trying to speak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can hear you just fine, Argh, my legs-.. Leg,” Now sitting up, was the room always spinning? Either way, the man was able to at least sit up fine, even if his spine had ached in the fight, it seemed to be not as bad, what horrified him was the sight of- his left leg, missing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The cut had been up to the calf, luckily, yet it was still terrifying to see your own leg chopped off,he noticed a large rip of the lab coat that belonged to his assistant, and then a dusty grey soft cloth warped around his wound.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“..Your blazer-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That isn’t important right now, That was.. By far the most dangerous idea you thought of yet,” Greg cutted him off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a science experience though, What time is it anyway?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“..4 AM, Sir. I’ll sent a notice that one of the higher-ups has to take over for a while, </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Greg, I can work </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>as fine as before, it’s just a missing leg,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“At the very least you won’t be able to work by yourself, you can’t just grow a leg back like that!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aperture Science: Regrowing body parts project?” He half joked, his assistant gaining a chuckle</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Never, Now let’s go, It’s extremely late and I’m not letting you walk by yourself or work until you get proper medical care,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And who’s the boss?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you want to remain the boss? </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cave sighed, before receiving help to stand up, it.. Was strange to walk without a leg, and it felt impossible walking without leaning on something, he still had a half of his leg, but that was practically useless and restricting his balance more, walking along the corridors, it felt.. So tiring, the high adrenaline lessening it’s effects, now the two slowly and carefully walked through the facility, keeping a lookout for anything strange if they weren’t in their world, yet everything seemed.. Fine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“..Greg?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Sir?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“..I think we should really cancel the putting-a-brain into a computer project, and step up the security.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Took you long enough.”<br/></span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ahaha!! the personalities probably uhh aren't too similar, big apologizes for that, anyways i uhh really hoped you enjoyed this! ^^</p></blockquote></div></div>
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